Reference soil Kenya 51: Lixisol

KE051

Lixisols occur dominantly in the drier parts of the tropics and subtropics. Their high base status is partly due to less leaching, partly to admixture from airborne dust from adjacent desert regions.

Characteristics

Soils having an argic horizon (a subsurface horizon with a distinct higher clay content than the overlying horizon), which has a cation exchange capacity of less than 24 cmolc per kg in some part, either starting within either: 100 cm from the soil surface, or 200 cm from the soil surface if the argic horizon is overlain by loamy sand or coarser textures throughout. They have a base saturation (total amount of Ca, Mg, K and Na with respect to the cation exchange capacity) of 50 percent or more in the major part between 25 and 100 cm from the soil surface.

Distribution of Lixisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil KE051: Lixisols

Brief soil description: Very deep, well drained soil derived from gneiss; with a very thin, dark red sandy clay topsoil over a dark red, sandy clay subsoil which is very gravelly between 10 to 25 cm depth. Thin clay cutans occur in all horizons. The soil is under acacia bushland which is browsed by cattle. Parent rock: hornblende biotite gneiss. A tor lies 50 m from the soilpit. Tors and earthpyramids are found on many places and mark the severe erosion in this area. Slides: 10,092 - 10,105

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Cutanic- Lixisol (Hypereutric Rhodic)

Rhodic- Lixisol

10-75 cm

argic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Rhodi-Haplic Lixisol rudic

Ferric Luvisol stony

0-10 cm	ochric A horizon
10-70 cm	argic B horizon

0-10 cm	ochric A horizon
10-70 cm	argillic B horizon
-	ferric

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)

Kanhaplic Rhodustalf

More images

Physical characteristics

Particle size distribution

Depth (cm)	Gravel % v/v	very coarse sand % w/w	coarse sand % w/w	medium sand % w/w	fine sand % w/w	very fine sand % w/w	Total sand % w/w	coarse silt % w/w	fine silt % w/w	Total silt % w/w	Clay % w/w
0-10	-	2.6	5.3	8.9	13.0	6.2	36	9.7	4.7	14.4	49.5
10-25	-	4.6	5.6	9.4	11.8	5.6	37	0.0	5.6	5.6	57.5
25-70	-	2.2	6.2	13.4	16.0	6.6	44.4	7.9	7.9	15.8	39.8
70-120	-	5.3	16.7	26.7	20.6	6.8	76.1	4.8	4.6	9.4	14.6

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-10	-	-	-	15.5	49.5
23-28	1.346	-	-	-	-
38-43	1.508	-	-	-	-
10-25	-	-	-	17.6	57.5
25-70	-	-	-	11.7	39.8
70-120	-	-	-	6.0	14.6

Other physical data

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	pF 0 % v/v	pF 1.0 % v/v	pF 1.5 % v/v	pF 2.0 % v/v	pF 2.3 % v/v	pF 2.7 % v/v	pF 3.4 % v/v	pF 4.2 % v/v
23-28	1.346	44.1	42.1	36.2	31.5	28.9	26.2	23.7	21.8
38-43	1.508	42.9	41.6	37.3	33.2	30.6	27.8	25.3	23.3

Chemical data

Depth (cm)	pH H2O	pHKCl	EC 1: 2.5 dS/m	CaCO3 % w/w	C % w/w	N %	C / N	Exch. Acid cmol(c)/kg	Exch. Al cmol(c)/kg	Ca cmol(c)/kg	Mg cmol(c)/kg	K cmol(c)/kg	Na cmol(c)/kg	Sum Cations cmol(c)/kg
0-10	6.9	5.5	0.08	0.9	0.73	0.08	9	-	-	9.8	3.5	0.5	0.0	13.8
10-25	6.7	5.0	0.06	1.0	0.62	0.06	10	-	-	9.5	3.8	0.2	0.0	13.5
25-70	6.8	4.9	0.05	1.3	0.27	0.03	9	-	-	8.3	4.3	0.1	0.0	12.7
70-120	7.2	5.3	0.04	1.5	0.10	-	-	-	-	5.8	2.4	0.1	0.0	8.3

Depth (cm)	Base sat. %	CEC soil cmol(c)/kg	CEC clay cmol(c)/kg	CEC org cmol(c)/kg	ECEC cmol(c)/kg	Al sat. %	ESP %
0-10	119	11.6	23	2.6	-	-	0
10-25	123	11.0	19	2.2	-	-	0
25-70	132	9.6	24	0.9	-	-	0
70-120	148	5.6	38	0.4	-	-	0

Depth (cm)	pH NaF	P Retention %	ODOE	Al o % w/w	Si o % w/w	Fe d % w/w	Al d % w/w	Fe p % w/w	Al p % w/w	C p % w/w	Fe o % w/w
0-10	-	-	-	0.2	0.1	3.3	0.2	-	-	-	0.5
10-25	-	-	-	0.3	0.0	3.4	0.2	-	-	-	0.5
25-70	-	-	-	0.2	0.0	3.0	0.2	-	-	-	0.5
70-120	-	-	-	0.0	0.1	1.1	0.1	-	-	-	0.2

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-10	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	medium	weak	-	-	-
10-25	-	-	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak to medium	medium	-	-	-
25-70	-	-	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	medium	-	-	-
70-120	-	-	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	medium	-	-	-

Profile description

0-10 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, dry) dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)sandy clay,strong coarse subangular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,continuous thin clay cutans,many very fine and few fine and medium pores,many very fine and few fine roots,slightly calcareous (0-2%),gradual wavy boundary to,
Bt1 10-25 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, dry) dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)very gravelly sandy clay,weak coarse subangular blocky parting to granular,loose (Ddy and moist) slightly sticky slightly plastic,continuous thin clay cutans,many very fine and few fine and medium pores,many very fine and few fine roots,abundant strongly weathered quartz fragments,slightly calcareous (0-2%),gradual wavy boundary to,
Bt2 25-70 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, dry) dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)sandy clay,strong coarse angular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,continuous thin clay cutans,many very fine and few fine and medium pores,common very fine and few fine roots,slightly calcareous (0-2%),clear irregular boundary to,
70-120 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, dry) dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)sandy clay,strong medium and coarse angular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,broken thin clay cutans,many very fine pores,common very fine roots,slightly calcareous (0-2%),

Depth1	70cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	gneiss
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	Basement system, hornblende-biotite gneiss
Soil Depth	70cm
Texture of parent material	sandy clay
Weathering Resistance	moderate
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	partially or moderately

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	absent
Intensity of the soil erosion type	moderate
Intensity of the soil erosion type (second entry)	moderate
Soil erosion type	sheet
Soil erosion type (second entry)	rill
Slope stability	stable

Major crops	millet
Land improvements ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	no land improvement
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	shrubland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	VEGETATION: Acacia bushland, browsed by cattle
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	crop rotation scheme not relevant
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	degraded
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	deciduous shrub

Altitude	855m
Physiographic Unit	undulating upland
Physiographic position of the site	upper slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	plain
Slope	3%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Lower limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	3cm
Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-80cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	rapid
Upper limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	0cm

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Average size of stone	5
Surface cracking	no cracks observed
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	surface slaked; sorted sand/silt, some clay films
Microrelief pattern	none
Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	fairly rocky
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline
Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	very stony

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Reference soil Kenya 51: Lixisol

Characteristics

Reference soil KE051: Lixisols

Classification